Peach Bowl: Georgia Vs. Ohio State College Football Playoff Preview, Prediction
The top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs (13-0) take on the fourth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes (11-1) in the Peach Bowl, a College Football Playoff semifinal, on Dec. 31 at 7:00 p.m. CT. The game airs on ESPN from Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Georgia is a comfortable favorite to repeat as champions, but can Ohio State defy the odds to clinch a spot in another National Championship Game?
Sizing Up The Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia notched their first SEC Championship since 2017 when they bulldozed LSU 50-30. It wrapped up a 13-0 regular season in which Georgia looked to be the best team in the nation each of the 13 weeks. They put the brakes on an explosive Tennessee offense while avoiding many in-season scares.
Stetson Bennett was named a Heisman Trophy finalist while the offense took massive strides forward. All American Brock Bowers dominated once again after a terrific freshman year, leading the team in receptions, yards, and touchdowns.
Georgia rosters several key receivers, but their serious advantage lies in their freak room of tight ends. Bowers heads the group, but Darnell Washington is just as much a mismatch for opposing defenses as anyone.
Defense again stepped up to the plate as a top unit nationally. Jalen Carter emerged as a game wrecker, suitably filling in the massive shoes left by Jordan Davis a year ago. However, Georgia lost captain and top linebacker Nolan Smith to injury a few weeks ago.
The sole cracks in the armor this year came in a let-up game against Kent State of all teams and a nail-biter on the road against Missouri in which Georgia's offensive line was dominated.
If there's any way to get these giants reeling, it's by winning the line of scrimmage.
Sizing Up The Ohio State Buckeyes
Once again, Ohio State fielded a top-flight offense highlighted by an embarrassment of riches at the wide receiver position. Probable first-round NFL Draft pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba played a grand total of three partial games due to a nagging hamstring injury and caught just five balls all season long, but the Buckeyes still fielded the best receiving corps in the nation by a comfortable margin.
CJ Stroud found himself in New York City again as a Heisman finalist. He had the benefit of throwing to emerging super star Marvin Harrison Jr. and handing off to TreVeyon Henderson for most of the year. Henderson battled injury, paving the way for bulldozer Miyan Williams to shine in the backfield.
The Buckeyes improved massively on defense. Pass rusher JT Tuimoloau broke onto the scene as the next great Ohio State defensive end while linebacker Tommy Eichenberg earned All-America honors.
The secondary features a litany of four- and five-star prospects, but the unit was large and by far Ohio State's worst. Their performance late in the season against Michigan cost Ohio State the game and, likely, a Big Ten Championship.
As is the case with the past three years at Ohio State, conservative coaching was an issue. Ryan Day fell to 1-2 against arch-rival Michigan– the first Buckeye coach to have a losing record after more than one game since the infamous John Cooper.
This season was defined by, "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard." With a championship on the line, will the hard work and passive coaching change?
Notable Injuries, Opt Outs
Georgia: LB Nolan Smith (OUT), WR Ladd McConkey (Questionable), WR AD Mitchell (Probable), OL Warren McClendon (Questionable)
Ohio State: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba (OUT), RB TreVeyon Henderson (OUT), RB Miyan Williams (Questionable), OL Matt Jones (Questionable)
Why Georgia Can Win
In just about every metric, Georgia reigns supreme. While they don't field the same historic-level of defensive talent they had last season, their defense still stands top-five in scoring (13.8). Where this team is improved from last year is on offense, with the biggest surprise coming from their fifth-ranked passing offense in efficiency.
Georgia's defensive front is still an exceptionally disruptive group. When Stroud gets off script and is pressured, his effectiveness goes out the window. Similarly, Ohio State's offense doesn't move the ball well when their top running backs aren't in the game. Henderson is fully out and if Williams misses, we'll see another meandering offensive outing like Ohio State put up against Michigan.
In every phase except quarterback and receiver, Georgia has the advantage. They're talented enough to control the line of scrimmage and push Ohio State around. As we've seen from previous coaching jobs under Day, physical teams beat the Buckeyes up and disrupt their game plan.
Why Ohio State Can Win
No team in the country is more properly equipped to handle Georgia than Ohio State at their best. Harrison and the passing attack are good enough to take advantage of a Georgia secondary, their weakest unit on defense. When playing under control and with a good game plan, Ohio State's offense is the most effective unit in the country.
However, the Buckeyes need Williams back in the lineup. The threat of a run game has proven to be a serious advantage all season long, most recently highlighted against Michigan, where Ohio State ran for over 120 yards in the first half.
Defensively, Ohio State has the athletes and the talent to hang with Georgia. Defensive coordinator Jim Knowels is aggressive and has, at times, successfully removed the run game from the equation. However, cornerbacks Denzel Burke and Cameron Brown will need to play flawless football– something not often seen this season.
If all three top receivers– Harrison, Emeka Egbuka, and Julian Flemming– find their stride, the Buckeyes will be able to out-score Georgia even if the defense isn't locked totally down.
Georgia Vs. Ohio State Prediction
If you go back and count the number of "ifs" and "howevers" under each of the previous two sections, you'll see where this prediction is headed. The bottom line is, Georgia is the more dependable team playing in their own backyard in a stadium they just won the SEC Championship in.
Ohio State at their absolute pinnacle might be the most talented team in the country. However, they're routinely not excellent and the offensive coaching isn't aggressive enough in big games.
Georgia just has too many advantages. They're no longer a team that requires their defense to compensate for a just-okay offense– they're truly elite moving the football.
The Bulldogs have the defense and coaching advantage and they're heavily favored to repeat as National Champions for a reason.
The pick: Georgia 34, Ohio State 17
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